In the year 2023, the Chinese soccer sector is being hit by a storm of sweeping and anti-corruption efforts. The Football Association has managed to arrest 11 footballers suspected of breaking the law. Recently, Shandong Taishan's foreign aid player Sun Junho was also arrested for allegedly taking part in match-fixing and allegedly accepting bribes from non-state workers. 31-year-old Sun Junho, an international player at the peak of his career, is feared to be facing harsh punishments. His Korean nationality has put him in the spotlight, and it seems his career will come to an abrupt end. Not only that, but Hao Wei, Guo Tianyu, Jin Jingdao and other Shandong Taishan players are also under investigation, and the once-powerful team is now in trouble, even facing the possibility of relegation. In short, Chinese soccer is experiencing an unprecedented low, with little good news and many arrests in the past six months.
As soccer fights blackmail and corruption, fans' attention has turned to Argentina's upcoming warm-up match in China. The national soccer team was expected to play the World Cup champions, but Du Zhaocai's refusal dashed that dream. Now, a sports company wants to facilitate a friendly match between Argentina and the national team, but the Football Association has already scheduled matches against Myanmar and Palestine, so the national team's meeting with Argentina seems to be a fiasco.
Two warm-up matches for the national team have been confirmed: on June 16 against Myanmar and on June 20 against Palestine. China has a clear advantage against Myanmar, ranked 160th in the world, while the match against Palestine, ranked 93rd, is expected to be a close one.
It is worth mentioning that Argentina will play a friendly against Australia on June 15th and Indonesia on the 19th. Lionel Messi will play in both matches, and both warm-up matches will be held in China, which will undoubtedly be a rare event for Chinese fans.
However, for office workers, the pressure to watch the Argentina game should not be underestimated. According to journalists, the ticket prices for Argentina's matches in China are staggering, with first-class tickets costing up to 20,000 yuan, second-class tickets 14,200 yuan and third-class tickets 9,300 yuan. This means that fans may need to pay a month or even two months' salary to watch the game live. What's more, a photo with Messi may also be charged at no less than 50,000 yuan. Many fans questioned whether anyone would really be willing to pay for that. A sports company will undoubtedly make a fortune from Messi's visit to China, but the high ticket prices and the high cost of photo ops have left people confused.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi led Argentina to the title and became one of the greatest players in the history of soccer. He will also bring the trophy with him to China this time, which is highly anticipated. Messi, one of the most influential players in world soccer, has a huge fan base in China and his spirit has inspired countless people.
